Innovative balancing beeds

[tomahs]

Has anyone had experience with the Innovtive Balancing beeds that cost about $8 per tire and are suppost to have substancial benifits for tires.

 

[scottmcd]

Read your tire owners manual that came with your truck. Most major tire manufactures state, that using aftermarket balancing agents/additives will void your tire warrenty. Personally, if the beads keep moving, how do they balance the tire???? just my 2cents

 

[BigEasy]

I don't know exactly how to explain how this type of deal works, but they do. They used to put lead shot in truck tires to do the same thing, but with a little moisture, the shot would corrode into lumps, making the tire worse. There is a product out, called Equal, that commercial big-truck tire dealers should be able to tell you about. It supposedly will cure even a recap shake, but I haven't tried it... I won't run caps! I'm assuming the beads are the same deal.



On the same topic, has anyone here used centr-matics?

 

[JHardwick]

These beads remind me of the time I got took for a new set of wheels when I was a kid.



I four wheeled a lot, like 2-4 times a week in a '99 F250, 460, 4 speed, 60's yadda yadda ... .



Anyway, the thing is getting terrible on the highway with I think 38's at the time. Would shake your eye teeth out. Nobody in town can balance anything bigger than something like a 33, so I took it to a pretty well known 4x4 shop outside of Columbus, Ohio. This screwball tried for ever to balance 1 tire! He messed around with the other 3 and finally told me that my wheels were junk and couldn't be balanced! I even watched as he chased the weight around. (not that I'd ever balanced a tire before)



Anyway, long story short. They took my chrome Cragar spokes and threw them in the bed and I slapped down the jack for some junk, lightweight, poor excuse for chrome American Racing spokes. This hurt pretty bad on my income, I didn't have a wife or kids then, but as a 19 y/o kid, that was a big chunk!



On the way home I was feeling good ... ... ... real good! Dayum thing felt like it was floating on air it rode so good. Then I realized ... ... ..... the tires had water in them from wollering and rooting around in mud holes and creek beds! The wheels weren't junk, they just couldn't balance them because the water settled in a different place everytime they threw a weight on the wheel!



Did I feel like a sucker? Yup!



Did I ever spend money there again? Nope!



Get me once, lol, you know the rest!



PS Before anybody asks, if you have big tires aired down, wollering in ruts and up against creek banks ... ... ... yes, you get water in past the beads. We didn't have extreme beads back 15 or 20 years ago

 

[Forrest Nearing]

we didn't have 99 F250's 15 or 20 years ago either!

 

[Kry226]

You'll find a lot more information if you do a search, but I have the Innovative Balancing Beads, and they work as advertised. I put them in my 315s and the truck is much smoother now. My best guess is that centrifugal force distributes the beads where weight is most needed- end result is a balanced tire that is always rebalancing itself. In any case, I am happy.



Here you go:

Innovative Balancing

 

[Jeff Clark]

Some people have tried Equal and didn't like the results, but I've run it in my 19. 5's for years without a problem. Works good for me. Takes several small bags or 1-2 large bags per tire. It's not cheap, but it works.

 

[stick]

If for any reason you think that these beads are some kind of a scam, you are "WRONG". They absolutely work as advertized. I think tire manufactures don't want you to know about them because you will get alot better milage out of your tires, because the tires will stay in balance throuout their intire life.

Just my 2 pennies.



Stick

 

[JHardwick]

we didn't have 99 F250's 15 or 20 years ago either!

:-laf :-laf it was getting past my bed time, lol, shoulda been '79



I'd go back and edit my post, but then yours would make no sense

 

[ceaman]

He might have menat he had 99 trucks... ...

 

[Dieselnerd]

I have the Counteract balancing beads in my current tires. Never had a smoother ride since I put them in 2 years ago. Only downside is you have to be careful when checking tire pressures or adding air. The beads are very small and once in a while can get caught in the valve core. When that happens you get a hiss and can just give it another shot of air to blow it back into the tire. Filtered valve cores are available at big truck supply places but it's never been enough of a problem to bother getting them. Big rigs use these things all the time. They really help make your tires last longer. They stay in place with static electricity. If you hit a pothole or railroad tracks fairly hard you can knock them loose but they rebalance in a few hundred yards.

 

[Kry226]

Only downside is you have to be careful when checking tire pressures or adding air. The beads are very small and once in a while can get caught in the valve core. When that happens you get a hiss and can just give it another shot of air to blow it back into the tire. Filtered valve cores are available at big truck supply places but it's never been enough of a problem to bother getting them.

I highly recommend getting the filtered valve cores. I few bucks is nothing when you're stuck out in the middle of nowhere with a flat tire and no air. :{

 

[Cooker]

I have been running counteract for a couple years now in both my sets of tires. I couldn't be happier.

 

[Duck]

On the same topic, has anyone here used centr-matics?

Anyone?

I'm thinking of going with these when I need a new set (pretty soon).

 

[evldsl]

I read this thread and I just ordered the beads for my 35-12. 50-15's on my TJ-Wrangler. I sure hope they work and the price for 5-6oz bags,valve tool,8 filtered valve cores,and 5 valve caps with shipping came to under $70. 00 bucks and that is a small price to pay for a smooth ride. If they do'nt work I will be talking to KRY226.

 

[EB]

The beads work, I have them in my truck and trailer tires. Be sure to get the filtered valve stems, you WILL get a flat because of beads getting in your valve cores if you don't, I know.

The centr-matics also work, just a whole lot higher intial investment, but then you have them for as long as you use that size tire and rim.

 

[barbwire]

Forrest,Your quick!!!

:-laf :-laf

we didn't have 99 F250's 15 or 20 years ago either!

 

[AndyMan]

My Bro-in-law runs 3 golf balls in each tire of his off-road rig. Swears by them.



I'm a big proponent of the beads myself. There are several companies that manufacture them. Run a search for balancing beads... I've posted a lot of info on this subject before.

 

[Kday]

I guess I'll give the beads a shot. No pun intended. I'm runnin 295 Nitto's and have a vibration at 55-70 MPH after balancing. I guess I'll need 5 oz. (they're closer to 285 than 305 I suppose). On install you just yank the existing weights and dump in the beads? Also are they safe on the aluminum rims?

 

[EB]

You can pull your weights off or leave them on, doesn't really matter. Most people pull them off, espically if you are running aluminum rims. The beads from innovative are made from a ceramic material, white in color, they won't hurt the rims. If you plan to pour them in through the valve stem, have fun, it will take a while. It is a whole lot quicker to unseat your tire and pour the beads in and then air it back up.